Should 49ers lure in free-agent Odell Beckham Jr.?

The 49ers have shown up in discussions about which team might land wide receiver Odell Beckham down the stretch to help with a playoff push.

There’s nothing wrong with playoff-caliber teams stockpiling as much talent as possible to assist with a Super Bowl push.

And while the San Francisco 49ers sit at only 3-2 after five weeks, a seemingly crumbling NFC West indicates they have as good a shot as any to win the division and make another deep run into the postseason.

Perhaps they’ll look for some more NFL free agency help along the way.

By this point, the majority of unsigned players are of the proverbial “scrap heap” variety. That’s not the case with veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., though, who is reportedly waiting out his options in the wake of recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in the middle of helping the Niners’ NFC West division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, get to the Lombardi Trophy last February.

San Francisco found out firsthand what Beckham’s presence meant to LA, ultimately losing that NFC Championship game with both Beckham and fellow wide receiver Cooper Kupp carving up the 49ers’ beleaguered secondary.

Beckham could still be attracted to a Rams return, but the latest scoop says he was disappointed in a low offer from Los Angeles to come back there, as broken down by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Chris Simms:

While there are going to be plenty of teams interested in onboarding the soon-to-be 30-year-old three-time Pro Bowler, would the Niners wind up having a legitimate shot to help Beckham gain another Super Bowl ring?

Super Bowl chances are likely going to influence Beckham’s decision in a major way.

ESPN cites 49ers as potential landing spot for Odell Beckham

Beckham will have his choices, including Los Angeles, assuming it ups the original offer to the receiver’s liking.

But an ESPN panel of Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen (h/t Niners Nation) listed San Francisco as a potential destination, too, with the following breakdown:

"Why he fits: The 49ers are a wild card because of the limited pass-game volume and two catch-and-run players already on the roster (Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk).In a heavily defined throwing offense, however, coach Kyle Shanahan could scheme Beckham on play-action targets, and OBJ’s route quickness would give quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo a stellar third-down target. — BowenWhy the 49ers make sense: As one AFC scout pointed out to me, this fit depends on how the 49ers really feel about Aiyuk. Is he the explosive No. 2 receiver San Francisco needs? Or is he still an enigma?“He’s a good player, but I’m not sure he’ll ever fully realize his potential,” the scout said.Rumors persisted a few years ago about Beckham wanting to wear the gold and scarlet. And because the 49ers decided to wait to pay Nick Bosa, they should have more cash available, sitting on a reasonable $6.6 million in cap space. — Fowler"

Will 49ers target Odell Beckham?

This isn’t the first time Beckham has been linked to the 49ers either. Already having experience in an offense not unlike that of head coach Kyle Shanahan, Beckham likely would be a seamless scheme fit.

However, as Niners Nation’s Kyle Posey pointed out, the receiver would have to decide whether or not he wants to be an alpha receiver or if he “would be willing to take a backseat to someone else,” provided all other factors are equal.

In San Francisco’s case, those two players would be wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

Beckham could feasibly prefer going somewhere like the Green Bay Packers, who lack a true No. 1 receiver. Or he might elect to join forces with quarterback Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There is the case of money, too, as Fowler pointed out. The 49ers would prefer to hang onto some of that cash to roll it over into 2022, but they do have enough money to onboard Beckham down the stretch.

And if he’d be willing to serve as a tertiary wideout to Samuel and Aiyuk, the Niners offense would have a prolific cast of pass-catching threats to help reach that elusive sixth Super Bowl.